Raft holding and release apparatus



July 10, 1951 s. SIPKIN ,6

RAFT HOLDING AND RELEASE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. George Sipkin Attorney July 10, 1951 G. SIPKIN 2,559,682

RAFT HOLDING AND RELEASE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet '2F IG.5.

INVENTOR. George Sipkin Y I Attorney Patented July 10, 1951 OFFICE(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370f). G. '757) 17 Claims.

This invention relates to life raft apparatus with special reference tomechanism for releasing separately and without interference each raft ofa stack under conditions of submersion.

Life rafts and floats form usual equipment for ships; and stacked raftsare also employed where limitation in space or need for adequate supplyof units is important. Previously, stacked rafts have been secured toship decks through use of permanent fixtures, including turnbuckles andsliphooks, which require manipulations when there is need for release Ofthe rafts. Obviously, such attachments do not function in case of suddensinking of the ship; and when released manually during heavy seas therafts will slip as a unit tending to cause piling and injury to possibleusers.

Automatic raft releasing apparatus has also been used involving use of-lioat equipment, trip devices, fences and other mechanism subject tojamming on heavy ship list, or to interference between rafts at thecritical time of release whereby the usefulness of the entire equipmentis jeopardized.

Generally stated the present invention involves a stacking of rafts onthe support, such as a ship deck, with a side edge of each raftreleasably connected to the deck at the opposite side of the stack by acable extending over the raft; so that on submersion, the rafts arereleased alternately from side to side of the stack without interferencewith each other or with the attachment or support devices.

An oustanding object of the invention is the provision of fasteningapparatus for stacked rafts which will permit automatic successiverelease of each raft on submersion.

Another object is the provision of fastening apparatus for stacked raftswhich will secure onsubmersion raft release at widely spaced pointswhereby blocking or interference between rafts is avoided.

An object also is to provide raft stack supports which permitsimplification of spacer units.

Still another object is to provide raft attachment apparatus effectiveto secure taut and rigid placement of cables and floats on the shipdeck.

A further object is to provide a deck raft stack wherein the attachmentelements are all outside the stack.

An additional object is the provision of interraft blocks which servethe dual purpose of raft spacers and attachment holding means.

Other objects such as relate to improvement in stability and structuresimplification and other features will become apparent fromconsideratlon of the following specification relating to the annexeddrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side sectional elevation of a submerged raft stack showingupper rafts at the.

time of release;

Fig. 2 is a detail showing the mode of attachment of the top raft of astack;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the attachment clips on the topinstead of the outer side of the raft as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the clip and cable connections forthe top and next adjoining raft of the showing of Fig. 3; taken on theline s4; thereof.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the attachment clip and cable coupler;

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of one of the spacing blocks.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail View of a cable clamp; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the cable clamp.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designatelike parts throughout the several views, there is shown in Fig. 1 astack it formed of rectangular, internally open rafts H, i2, [3 and I4,rafts H and I2 being in normal attached position on the deck it or othersupport surface, raft It being on the swing to the release position atthe left of the stack as viewed in the drawing, and raft M being in theposition of release, with the cable 56 and attached clip ll falling tothe right.

The rafts may be of any desired shape, but for the purpose of thisdescription they are formed of square beams turned into an oblong shapewithan open interior section. The beams should be of suitable buoyantmaterial such as wood or wood mixtures including cork. Preferably theedges of the beams are rounded to facilitate handling and application ofthe clips.

In the assembly of the stack the rafts are superposed on the deck Itwith a base supporting spacer l8 and intervening spacers 59, 2t and 2!.In addition use is made of lashing units including clips El, 22, 23 and24 and cables 16, 25, 26 and 2! respectively connecting the clips to theeye bolts 28 and 29 fixed. to the deck it on either side of the stack.While reference is made to single eye bolts and a single series of clipsand cables on each side of the stack it is to be understood thatpreferably two sets of clips, lashings, and eye bolts are used, as willbe explained more fully hereinafter.

The clips ll, 22, 23 and 24, which may be of hat to conform to the decksurface.

metal and which preferably are rigid in form, are U-shaped (Fig. 5) andinclude a bridge plate and projecting side plates 3| and 32. Toward oneend of the external surface of the base plate 30, is attached a staple33 for connection to the attachingcable. In general, the clip isdesigned so that the side plates terminate about the midpoint of theraft beams so as to permit easy removal.

The clip cables 46, 25, 26 and 2! are preferably of flexible wire, butmay be of textile rope, chain or other flexible connector havin adequatetensional strength. It is desirable that the ends of the cables besecured directly to the staples 33 so that attachment or release of thecable ends may be made for each raft at the side of the stack. The cablemay be threaded through the deck eye bolt and the ends attached toseparate clips, the eye bolt cable section being lashed at the bolt toprevent slippage.

The spacers 9, 20 and 2| are interposed between the various rafts toserve at least two functions, namely, to provide stability to the stackand to assist in holding the clips in place. Each spacer, as l9,includes a central lengthwise extending rod 34 and two cross rods 35attached as by spring slots 35 to the rod 34. To the ends of each ofthese rods are secured chocks or blocks 31, which may be wood or otherresistant material. These blocks are T-shaped as shown in Fig. 6 withthe long section 38 joining the transverse block head 39 with a curvedarea adapted to conform to the curved edge of the raft beam. The bearingsides of section 38 may be either flat as at 39 in Fig. 6 or stepped toform a surface 4Q depressed below surface 4! for the purpose of engagingwith and fitting over and retaining the side clip sections asillustrated in Fig.1. J

The base spacer l8 differs over the other spacers in that the bottomside of the blocks are If desired this base spacer may be fixed to thedeck although it is usually sufficient to lash the stack to the deck byuse of the eyebolts 28 and 29.

In both the base and inter-raft separators the dimensions are chosen sothat the raft beams nest snugly with the recessed block surfaces thuspreventing relative movement so long as the rafts remain in place on theblock.

In setting up the stack the base spacer is placed between the pairs ofeye bolts and the bottom raft placed on the blocks. Cable 25 is thensecured to eye bolt 28 and to staple 33 in clip 22. Tautness may beinsured by lifting the right side of the raft as shown in Fig. l for thetying operation thus securing the leverage of the raft on release of thesame. The clip 22 rests in the ledge 40 of the base block 20' and isretained therein by the weight of the raft beam.

Spacer I9 is then placed on raft l I so as to nest thereon and raft l2placed on the spacer I9, clip 23 having previously been slipped in placeon the raft beam. Cable 26 is then connected to 'eye bolt l5 and ledover the right side of the raft as seen in Fig. 1 and across to the topof the left raft beam and to the staple 33 where it is secured. Spacer20 is then placed in raft l2, and

raft 13 on spacer 20 with the clips on the right beam of the raft andthe cable extending over the raft top and left beam to the deck bolt 28.The stack may be completed by placing an additional raft 14 above raft i3 on spacer 21 using right side clip I! and cable l6, and an. 11nat 4tached top raft on a spacer (not shown) above raft [4. (See Fig. 3.)

The operation of the life rafts may now be considered under conditionsof submersion. Where sudden submersion occurs due to sinking of theship, the top raft being unattached floats freely upwards, relievingpressure on the second raft from the top which immediately pivotsupwardly on the lower spacer blocks on the side of the stack at whichthe clip cable is attached to the deck. In the illustration of Fig. 1the raft I3 is shown pivoting to the left on block 37 of spacer 2!]. Asthe raft turns on its edge a point is reached approaching verticalalignment when the cable is straight under tension and the base edge ofthe raft clears the block head of its spacer support. Thereupo-n theraft pivots on the clip attachment until the approximate position ofraft M, Fig. 1 is reached where the buoyancy of the raft serves to liftit away from the clips I1, and the cables and clips fall to the right.

In this operation as the rafts assume a vertical edge position thespacer supported thereby slips to the side of the stack at a pointinvolvin no interference with the ascending rafts. Clearance of thespacers is aided by the side momentum acquired thereby in the pivotingmovement from the top of the stack. This lateral movement of the raftsis increased also by the initial buoyant pivoting of the next lower raftwhich, as in the case of raft 12, Fig. 1, lifts its left edge and spaceragainst the turnin lower edge of raft l3. Thus as regards both thespacers and cables release thereof is effected at the extreme sides ofthe stacks while influenced by the lateral momentum of the raft pivotingwhereby clearance of the stack is assured.

The utility of the clip attachment is now apparent in that it insuresrelease of the rafts alternately on the extreme sides of the stack underconditions of lateral outward momentum to insure complete freedom frominterference be tween stacks, spacers and cables, and release of therafts at spaced points so that they will not surface at precisely thesame area. The U -formof the clip, moreover, is such that accidentalgrabbing of the same on the rafts is made im possible as might developif a hook form were used.

It is pointed out further that the clip engagement on the raft beam neednot be tight since instack formation the adjacent upper spacer rests onthe clip and holds it in position. Under storm conditions consequentlythe stack is stable. This stability may be assisted in the case of thetop raft, which is normally unattached, by placing edge clips 43' (Fig.2) on the top raft beam directly above the clips of the next lower raftand joining the two sets of clips by a flexible cable 4! of such lengththat when the top raft is in position the cable is taut. In the case ofsubmersion the top raft pivots on the clip until free as in the case ofthe other rafts.

While automatic staggered release of the rafts under conditions ofsubmersion is a prime consideration, conditions arise where it isdesirable to free the rafts before submersion. Under such conditions thetime element becomes important and it is desirable that there be nocomplex releasing devices or operations to hinder quick removal of therafts. It the case of the lashings of Fig. l, to remove the raftsmanually without piv-- oting would require untying of'the knot whichmight involve more time than maybe available.

To overcome this diiiiculty the cable end; instead U of being knotted,may be secured by the clamp 50 (Figures 7 and 8), preferably placed ontop of the raft beam between the rafts so 'as to be normallyinaccessible Without removal of the top rafts.

The clamp as comprises a strap casing 55 of oblong shape having an endslot 52 forming a guide way for the handle 53 of a clamp lever pivotedon cross shaft 54. Ihe lever carries an arm 55 integral with lever arm-3 but angularly related thereto so that when the cable end is threadedthrough the clamp casing, the stable 33, and again through the casing inreverse and the loandle 53 compressed the arm 55 forces the cablesections together and locks them in place. The forcing action of theclamp tends also to increase the tautness of the cable connectionbetween ends when positioned as shown. Preferably the handle has flaringedges 55 which project to the side of the cable where they may bereadily grasped to force a quick release of the cable. Obviously, otherconnectors such as a slip ring book may be employed.

Also facilitating rapid removal of the rafts is the modified arrangementof the clip attachment shown in Figures 3 and 4. In this arrangement theclips Q5 are placed on the tops of the respective raft beams where theyare normally held in place by the adjoining upper spacers it. It ispointed out that the staple 33 is placed adjoining the end of basesection Bil so that the staple will not interfere with the spacer in anyway. As in the preferred form the top raft may be provided with clips ildirectly above the clips of the next lower raft, with cables as joiningthe clips together. On submersion this form of clip releases ata smallerangle of lift but it has the advantage of permitting removal of theclips manually without use of special release mechanism or pivoting ofthe rafts.

It is noteworthy that the clip attachment mechanism acords highstability of the rafts in stack as well as easy automatic release onsubmersion, without use of complex mechanism. It is of note further thatraft blocking or interference on automatic release when submerged. ispractically eliminated by utilizing the lateral momentum of the pivotaction and delaying release until the rafts have pivoted to alternatesides. Further it is pointed out that the lashings are accessible fromthe stack sides, that manual release may be readily effected, that largespacers are not essential, and that all rafts are bound together as aunit in the deck stack.

The invention hereindescribed may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

It should be understood that the foregoing disclosure relates topreferred embodiments of the invention and that numerous modificationsor alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example,the spacer blocks 3? need not necessarily rest on the clips in bothmodifications but the clips may be placed on the raft beams adjacent theblocks thereby rendering it unnecessary to undercut the blocks 3? asshown at All in Fig. 6.

What is claimed is:

1. In stack holding and release equipment, a base support, a group ofsuperposed buoyant raft members mounted in stack formation on saidsupport, attachment elements removably secured to each of said groupmembers at alternate sides of said stacks for successive members, andcables connecting each of said elements to said support.

2.' In stack holding and releasing equipment, a base support, a group ofsuperposed buoyant raft members mounted in stack formation on saidsupport, Ll-shaped attachment elements removably secured to each of saidgroup members successively at alternate sides of said stack, and

cables connecting each of said attachment elements to the support on aside of the stack op=- posite each of said respective elements.

3. In stack holding and releasing equipment, a base support, a group ofsuperposed buoyant raft members mounted in stack formation on saidsupport, attachment elements removably secured to each of said groupmembers successively at alternate sides of said stack, and cablesconnecting each of said attachment elements to the support on a side ofthe stack opposite each of said respective elements, said cablesextending from each element over the top of the adjoined raft and downthe stack side opposite to the element.

4. In stack holding and releasing equipment, a base support, a group ofsuperposed buoyant raft members mounted in stack formation on saidsupport, attachment elements removably secured to each of said groupmembers successively at opposite sides of said stack, and cablesconnecting each of said attachment elements to the support on a side ofthe stack opposite each of said respective elements.

5. In marine equipment'a base support, superposed buoyant membersmounted in stack formation on said support including side sections,spacers positioned in said stack between the successive superposedmembers, attachment clips removably secured to the side section of eachof said members with portions of said clips interposed and held betweenthe member and spacer, and a flexible cable extending from each clipover the top of the member to which the clip is attached to the oppositeside thereof and to fixed attachment means on said support.

6. In marine equipment, a base support, superposed buoyant membersmounted in stack formation on said support including side sections,spacers positioned in said stack between the successive superposedmembers, attachment clips removably secured to the side section of eachof said members with portions of said clips interposed and held betweenthe member and spacer, a flexible cable extendin from each clip over thetop of the member to which the clip is attached to the opposite sidethereof and to fixed attachment means on said support and a manuallyreleasable latch between each of said cables and the connecting clip.

7. In marine equipment, a base'support, superposed buoyant raft membersmounted in stack formation on said sup-port, attachment elements securedto each of said buoyant members successively at alternate sides of saidstack, and cables connecting each of said attachment elements to thesupport on the side of the stack opposite each of said respectiveelements.

8. In stack holding and releasing equipment, a base support, a group ofsuperposed buoyant members mounted in stack formation on said support,attachment elements removably secured to each of said group memberssuccessively at alternate sides of said stack, cables connecting each ofsaid attachment elements to the support on a side of the stack oppositeeach of said respective elements, and a manually releasable latchinterposed'between each of said cables and the adjoining attachmentelement.

9. In marine equipment, a base support, a group of superposed buoyantmembers mounted in stack formation on said support, attachment elementssecured to each of said group of stacked members at successivelyopposite sides of said stack, a separate top member on said group ofmembers, an attachment element secured to the top member at a pointadjacent the element of the next underlyin member, cables connectingeach of said group attachment elements to the support on the side of thestack opposite each of said respective elements, and a cable connectingthe element on said top member to the next inferior member element.

10. In marine equipment, a deck support, plural rafts superposed instack formation on said support, said rafts separated from each other byinterposed separating elements to provide intervening spacestherebetween; said rafts having buoyant rectangular side beams, U-shaped clips removably mounted on each raft on beams at alternate sidesof the stack as taken in succession from raft to raft, and cablesconnecting each of said clips on one side of the stack to a fixedconnector on the support on the opposite side of the stack.

11. In stack holding and releasing equipment, a base support, a. groupof superposed buoyant raft members mounted in stack formation on saidsupport, attachment elements removably secured to each of said groupmembers successively at alternate sides of said stack, cables connectingeach of said attachment elements to the support on a side of the stackopposite each of said respective elements, a top buoyant member on saidgroup of members, and means for releasably attaching said top member tosaid group of members.

12. In marine equipment, a base support, superposed buoyant membersmounted in stack formation on said support including side sections,attachment clips removably secured to the side section of each member, acable extending from each clip over the top of the member to which theclip is attached to the opposite side thereof and to fixed attachmentmeans on said support, and means for spacing the buoyant members andretaining said clip thereon.

13. In marine equipment, a deck support,

plural rafts having square sectioned side beams superposed in stackformation on said support, U-clips placed on the beams of each raft onalternately opposite sides of the stack, Said U-clips opening to thestack interior, and a cable joining the outer face of each of saidrespective U- clips to the support at a point on the opposite side ofthe stack from said clips.

14. In marine equipment, a deck support, plural rafts having squaresectioned side beams superposed in stack formation on said support,U-clips placed on the beams of each raft on alternately opposite sidesof the stack, said U-clips opening downwardly and a cable joining theupper face of each of said U-clips to the support at a point on theopposite side of the stack from said clip.

15. In apparatus for securing staggered release of rafts superposed ondecks in stack formation, releasable attachment members secured to oneside of each raft at successively opposite sides of the stack, and a.cable connecting each of said members to a fixed point on the deck.

16. In apparatus for securing staggered release of rafts superposed ondocks in stack formation, releasable attachment members secured to oneside of each raft at successively opposite sides of the stack, and acable connecting each of said members to a fixed point on the deck onthe side of the stack opposite to the member.

17. Apparatus for securing vertically stacked flat rafts and spacers ona support, comprising releasable attachment devices secured to edges ofalternate rafts on one side of the stack, releasable attachment devicessecured to the other rafts at alternate edges on the other side of thestack, and a cable connecting each of said respective devices over theopposite edge of the raft to which said devices are attached to a pointon the deck on the side of the stack opposite each of said respectivedevices.

GEORGE \SIPKIN.

Name Date Morner June 5, 1945 Number

